Welcome back to Disney Stuff. The basement in the Barry house was supposed to be for the kids. “Let’s finish a nice big room in the basement for the kids to play in and keep all of their stuff,” seemed to be the thought. Of course, it seems that my desk has ended up down here and consequently…quite a lot of my “stuff.” The kids don’t mind, really, because most of my “stuff” is, what else, “Disney stuff.“ Granted there are some vintage cameras, some New York World’s Fair memorabilia and a smattering of Grateful Dead “stuff” as well. The wall space, however, is primarily taken up by some of my favorite Disney collectibles. I’m talking about collectible lithographs from The Disney Store and the old Disney Catalog that were made available as an exclusive bonus from Disney when you pre-ordered the DVD.
First of all, what a great deal. A lot of us out there would have pre-ordered the DVDs anyway, but over the years, Disney was known to add a little incentive towards your purchase. I can remember pre-ordering movies from The Disney Catalog and receiving a pin, a small plush character, a set of 4 lithographs and, of course, the DVD itself. That’s a great little package of stuff to get just for pre-ordering. I’ve also seen it dwindle down to only one collectible lithograph on occasion. On a whole, though, it’s been a nice set of 4 images lifted from scenes of the film, printed on decent paper and, as the tagline says, suitable for framing.
Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King and Lilo & Stitch lithographs. Photo By Chris Barry.
I took that tagline fairly seriously and framed several of these lithos . It’s not original art, but still. They’re great reproductions with classic scenes from your favorite films and best of all, they were basically free. I’m sure Disney tacked on a little premium in order to cover the cost of the prints, but essentially it was a freebie.
Cinderella and Mary Poppins lithographs. Photo By Chris Barry.
Currently, we have prints from The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, Mary Poppins and Finding Nemo on the walls. Waiting patiently in a nearby drawer for their chance to be rotated in are prints from Lady and the Tramp, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid and 101 Dalmatians and of course, the alternate prints from the afore-mentioned films. That’s just over 40 prints in all; really a nice collection.
Some of them are older. I have a special commemorative litho from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from The Disney Store marked 1994. (Doesn’t sound that old, but let’s face it, it was 15 years ago. The Disney Store was a slightly different place back then.)
A classic shot from the “one that started it all.” Photo By Chris Barry.
Some of them have more impressive portfolios than others. The Beauty and the Beast, Lion King and Lady and The Tramp portfolios are very special, almost more so than the actual prints.
The beautiful but subtle Beauty and the Beast lithograph portfolio. Photo By Chris Barry.
Lady and Tramp on the cover of their lithograph portfolio. Photo By Chris Barry.
My favorite image of all the portfolios. Chris Barry.
The Lilo & Stitch portfolio even folds out to look like a surfboard.
Not an approved floatation device. Photo By Chris Barry.
Don’t fret if you missed the pre-order on any of these. The sets of lithographs are readily available in the Internet for $20 and under. I found the Lady and The Tramp set and the Snow White individual that way. All in all, they are a bargain to be had and have given us much enjoyment over the years.
Just another way that Disney has of spreading the magic. They don’t have to offer these lithos with the pre-sales. I like to think of it as a reward to the lovers of classic Disney animation from the company and a surefire way to honor their treasure trove of magical screen moments. I hope they keep doing it in the future.
Thanks for checking in and I’ll see you next time with some more of that great Disney Stuff.
